UPDATE: UCCS Dorm Room Shooting was Over Marijuana and Cleanliness
The suspect and one victim were dorm roommates at UCCS, while the second victim attended Pueblo Community College.
Image via Adobe, by Rosemarie
UPDATE FEBRUARY 23, 2024: The UCCS student who allegedly shot his dorm roommate and a female friend on Monday had a history of disagreements with his roommate over marijuana use and cleanliness.
A witness told police that the roommate, Samuel Knopp, reported the suspect, Nicholas Jordan, for smoking pot in their shared room and for not keeping their room clean, reports KKTV.
ORIGINAL FEBRUAYR 20,2024 ARTICLE:
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – A University of Colorado – Colorado Springs (UCCS) student was arrested Monday for allegedly killing his roommate and a woman in his dorm room.
The victims, Celie Rain Montgomery, 26, and Samuel Knopp, 24, were found shot to death at Crestone House on Friday by campus police after shots were heard around 6 a.m., reports KXRM.
Police said the deaths were not murder-suicides and were being investigated as homicides, reports CBS News. By Friday evening, Nicholas Jordan, 25, Knopp’s roommate, was identified as the suspected shooter, and police had obtained a warrant for his arrest, reports USA Today.
Jordan was found in a vehicle about 3 miles from campus early Monday morning and taken into custody without incident, reports ABC News.
Immediately after the shots were fired, the campus was placed on lockdown. On social media, UCCS police posted the following emergency notification: “Urgent UCCSAlert: Lockdown! Lock interior doors. Turn out the lights. Move away from sight. Do not open the door. Maintain silence. Evade/Defend,” reports KKTV.
The campus was closed on Friday and over the weekend, and meetings, events, and other activities on campus were cancelled.
Authorities say the shooting was not random and was an isolated incident between individuals who knew each other. Knopp and Jordan were both UCCS students, while Montgomery attended Pueblo Community College.
Jordan faces two counts of first-degree murder and is being held on $1 million bond at the El Paso County Jail.
If you appreciated this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our FREE digital newsletters!
About the Author
Robin Hattersley, Editor-in-Chief
Robin has been covering the security and campus law enforcement industries since 1998 and is a specialist in school, university and hospital security, public safety and emergency management, as well as emerging technologies and systems integration. She joined CS in 2005 and has authored award-winning editorial on campus law enforcement and security funding, officer recruitment and retention, access control, IP video, network integration, event management, crime trends, the Clery Act, Title IX compliance, sexual assault, dating abuse, emergency communications, incident management software and more. Robin has been featured on national and local media outlets and was formerly associate editor for the trade publication Security Sales & Integration. She obtained her undergraduate degree in history from California State University, Long Beach.
Related Content
Leading in Turbulent Times: Effective Campus Public Safety Leadership for the 21st Century
This new webcast will discuss how campus public safety leaders can effectively incorporate Clery Act, Title IX, customer service, “helicopter” parents, emergency notification, town-gown relationships, brand management, Greek Life, student recruitment, faculty, and more into their roles and develop the necessary skills to successfully lead their departments. Register today to attend this free webcast!
